News Release

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities

WASHINGTON  Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today issued the following statement on the deferred action process for young people who are low enforcement priorities:

"The major change to our nation's immigration policy announced today by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will not only benefit young immigrants, who know no other country than this as their own, but our economy and our nation as a whole.

"The policy change will have a very real and meaningful impact on our workforce and on our work at the U.S. Department of Labor. We know that a skilled, educated and entrepreneurial workforce is critical to our economic success in the 21st century. These young immigrants give our workforce a competitive advantage at home and in the international economy. Not only will they contribute to U.S. businesses as workers, but they will also contribute as consumers  helping to boost our economic growth and prosperity.

"The administration has taken a big step in the right direction today. Now it's time for Congress to get to work and pass the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform. If we are going to have an America that's truly built to last, and if we are serious about meeting the challenges of the global economy, we need an immigration system that works, not the broken system we have now."